A Window To The Past
by Sakurane
Summary: A glimpse into the lives of Severus Snape and Lily Evans while they were growing up together. Not necessarily in order, and mostly one-shots.


**Author's Note: I request that you pull up a page on youtube and listen to "Lumos! Hedwig's Theme" right now as you are reading this fic. Imgine the opening logo of Harry Potter, looking down on earth through dark clouds, which suddenly open to reveal a little house. That house belongs to one Lily Evans. This is the opening scene that opens in my head, and I'm hoping you can imagine something similar!**

In a small park near Spinner's End, a sickly looking boy and red headed girl were huddled together under the slide, shielding themselves from the rain.

"I'll bet Mama is angry that I haven't come home yet!" Lily said, not at all bothered by the fact.

Snape didn't say that his father probably had no idea he was even gone.

"Even if you get wet, I know a spell to dry your clothes." Snape said with a hint of pride.

Lily was impressed. "You can do that?"

"Of course. You can do anything with magic."

Lily let out a forlorn sigh. "I wish I was eleven, already. I want to go to Hogwarts and learn how to use magic. I want to learn all sorts of spells, and be the most powerful witch in the whole world!"

_I'll bet you could be. _Snape thought.

"Anyway, what were you telling me about "familiars"? That's what they're called, aren't they?"

"Yeah, magical familiars. I read about them a few months ago. Animals that help with you magic, like rats, cats, or toads. I've got a rat at home, if you want to see him. My mother says that I can take Theodora with me when to Hogwarts."

"I don't much care for rats." Lily said with distaste, making a face.

Snape looked stricken for a moment, then hastened to keep the girl's interest. "I have a snake, too! Salazar's his name, after the House Founder."

Lily's eyes grew wide. "You do? Well then, show me! I've never gotten to see one in real life, except for little garden varieties; and Tuney always scares them away with her screaming."

_Maybe she could be a Slytherin, after all! _Snape hoped. "Wait here. I'll bring him out."

Lily nodded, and Snape practically ran into his home. He clambered on a stool in his bedroom, the only way he was tall enough to reach the glass box in which lived his favorite pet.

"Here, Salazar. Come here, it's alright- that's a good snake." He spoke to it in soothing tones as the snake obligingly coiled itself around his arm. "I'm going to introduce you to a friend. She's—she's wonderful, very nice. You'll like her, I promise."

When Salazar had ceased to move, Snape went back to the park down the road, where Lily was waiting on a swing.

"That's it?" Lily said, mouth falling open. "It's not- dangerous, is it?"

She seemed afraid to touch it, but Snape assured her that she was in no danger. "Salazar is one of the gentlest snakes you'll ever meet." He said. "He's never once hurt me… and he won't hurt you, either. I told him not to."

Lily glanced up. "You can talk to snakes?"

"Not exactly!" Snape said quickly. He wasn't a dark wizard—_he wasn't! _He couldn't stand the thought of Lily drawing the conclusion that he was bad or evil. He knew that being a parselmouth was a dangerous ability.

"It's because I'm gonna be sorted into Slytherin, That's what my mother told me. I've heard that snakes like students of Slytherin."

Lily looked thoughtful. "Then maybe I can be sorted into Slytherin, too!"

Snape barely kept a smile from his face. "I'd like that."

"I think that talking to snakes would be really cool! Can wizards talk to all kinds of animals?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. Snakes are special, though. One of the most ancient magical creatures, and they're really smart, too. Some say they can understand the human language and they can think for themselves, too. Even see the future… but I don't think that last one is true."

Neither the boy nor girl noticed that Salazar had leveled his head and was staring intently at the red headed girl, as if it knew of things to come. That she would never be sorted into Slytherin. That other serpents were talking, and dark forces were gathering minute by minute. Evil was stirring, but just then, the two children were content to hide themselves in the rain.

Perhaps things would have been different if one of them _did _have the ability to speak parseltongue.


End file.
